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Haglöfs Ozone

When Haglöfs LIM Ozone came out it was the lightest Gore-Tex ProShell jacket out there, even with a full zip, proper hood and two chest pockets. But the LIM Ozone had quirks, holes stamped in pocket lining for ventilation where folk expect mesh, printed shoulder reinforcement, the wacky colourway, so of course, like all good kit it disappeared quite quickly. However, the design is back in this UK-only Ozone I’ll be testing over the winter. It’s not on Haglöfs’ website, but you’ll find it in the UK stores.

There are some differences to it’s predecessor, the Gore-Tex ProShell fabric is a little tougher, so no need for the shoulder reinforcements, but we’re still coming in at 450g for a size large. The pockets don’t have the hypalon pegboard lining this time, just plain fabric.
The hood this time around is the same 3-point adjustable one you’ll find on the Spitz, and it’s a belter. I’ve used this on a couple of other jackets and it’s a winter marvel, rock solid whatever the weather’s doing.
The zips are all water-resistant (and nicely colour contrasting), with a big flap behind the main zip which has a little micro fleece patch on the inside at the top anda popper at the bottom to secure and keep pressure off the zip. There’s velcro cuffs, wide cuffs too for good venting, and an inner stretch mesh pocket on the left side.
It’s clean, simple, the layout is the essence of a classic winter shell: two chest pockets-badass hood.
I got on very well with the LIM Ozone indeed, and I’ll be expecting no less performance from its bright orange offspring.

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30 thoughts on “Haglöfs Ozone”

Love my LIM Ozone – genius jacket that has never failed me. Slim cut, charcoal grey/neon yellow mélange and light to boot. There will be lighter jackets out there now, but he and I are old friends and I can be a bit sentimental…

I’ve mentioned it here before and yes, I do love mine too. Used it lots during the summer, including a trip to Lapland and now the finnish winter is approaching so from now on it’ll be on constantly on duty for a couple of months.

I was a bit sceptic about the pocket venting at first – I could loose stuff. But I haven’t lost anything yet and better yet, I’ve stopped filling the pockets with random stuff. The pockets form great intakes when biking, the cooling area is quite big and the cooling will act on the lower chest/tummy instead of the side/back (which can give you a stiff back). I’m really delighted by the fit, when putting it on it’s a bit tight, but when on, it’s a perfect fit! The hood on my previous Helium was better, but it’s still a very good hood. What else, it’s light but still fully equipped and relatively tough.

450g ???????????? Someone at Hagloffs HQ needs to check their weighing scales – they seem to be fighting their way up the down escalator on weights these days! Or perhaps it’s a simple case of middle-aged spread? I’m just kicking myself for arriving too late at the going-lighter party to catch the LIM Ultimates, espec the Barrier Pull-on. (Like the look of the RAB Xenon though!)

Bobinson – OMM have just released a UL 3-layer eVent jacket (the Cypher) – not sure if it’s robust enough for Winter but it cannot be much more diaphanous than the Ozone so if you’re thinking about the Ozone, have a look at that. Also, the ME Firefox is not bad although I found it a bit loose around the belly area and not quite as fitted as the Ozone. It’s lighter though as it has fewer features.

DaveC, don’t worry about the weights, I check them all!
By the way, the LIM Paclite jacket which is still out there is about top get heavier, now is the time to get lighter one before they’re all gone.

Phil, are you saying we’d look like twins? We’ll be fine, I’ve got grey in my beard to give it away.

Journeyman Traveller, the Cypher should be good if they went with the right hood. Here’s hoping, my sample’s long overdue.

Thanks for the heads-up on the LIM Paclite!
450g for the Ozone I can believe – it’s just gone the way of all the other Haglofs gear this year i.e. spending too much time lounging around Ikea eating meatballs! …I just love their kit though!
Loving your blog btw – great reviews, great trip reports, great photos and always a sense of humour! …you haven’t half caused me some grief with the bank manager though…

I must admit I love my Lim Ozone. It’s never given up on me. It even miraculously stopped spike of my ice axe going through my right man boob whilst trying to hack away at a bit of stubborn ice digging a snow hole last year!

A wee bit of tenacious tape and all is waterproof again in my wee charcoal haglofs world with yellow highlights.

Why they canned the LIM gear is beyond me everything seemed spot on and met everybodys requirements on the feedback ive read on it, and the bit i have of it. Will they not consider bringing it back Pete as i’m sure now its gone and we all realise how good it was it would sell easily.

Well, Neil Bradley (great CV, he was at Karrimor when Mike was there) who was in charge of Haglofs UK is now in Sweden in product development, he knows what the good stuff us, expect good things.
Btw, I have some top-secret Haglofs product info which I am bursting to tell you, it’ll be December though.

Bit of a Haglofs love-in! Now don’t get me wrong, I like the Haglofs stuff and have quite a few bits myself including a monster of a down jacket but I’d just like to ask a question or two if I may?

Now the retail price on this is £320, lots of money but not ridiculous like some of the £400+ shells around these days. 450g of 3 layer Proshell, a great hood, two venting pockets and velcro cuffs. Sounds a hell of a lot like the Berghaus Temperance to me, the major difference being no stormflap over the main zip on the Ozone, yet that retails at only £230. I’m guessing both jackets are made in the far east somewhere?

I know I’m a bit biased due to having the Berghaus and it fitting me really well but I’d really struggle to justify that extra 90 notes… that’s a pair of decent trail shoes after all. Haglofs is superbly made I know that, so is the Extrem range however and it seems to be the choice of quite a few mountain guides I’ve come across.

Donkeys years ago I bought a combi boiler for my first house, at the back end of ’85 and that had a big sticker of a bulldog on the front with the slogan ‘Buy British’. Now that sort of self promotion is illegal in these days of the EU but it’s a course of action that makes a lot of sense, especially in a recession. So I try to buy products made in the UK if all else is roughly equal. Most of my climbing hardwear is DMM and as such is manufactured in Wales. I have PHD sleeping bags, that visit to the factory was a great read Pete. So whilst Berghaus no longer make gear bedhind the LD Mountain Centre, they are a british company that manufactures top gear at a price that’s extrem(sic)ely competitive.

Haglofs in general have a far better brand image than Berghaus. However, I’d hazard a guess that put the two jackets side by side in the shop with no logos and the sales would be very different when compared to jackets with branding, fit being the main criteria on the unbranded ones. Is that snobbishness? Do Berghaus still suffer badly from the footy lads wearing Mera Peaks? Or is the Haglofs just a better jacket? Hard for me to answer because I don’t own both. All things being roughly equal, then most people would go for the Haglofs but things aren’t really equal are they? The Ozone is hugely more expensive…

Am I missing something or should I stick to buying british when I can if the product is just as good and suitable for purpose?

It’s economics, there’s no conspiracy with this stuff. Sales, manufacturing, materials sourcing, it all plays a part.

Berghaus are always cheaper for a comparable model, even the top-end kit at full retail ends up looking like a bargain sometimes. You can probably add Montane into that?
When we look at any overseas brand we’ll always be paying more, are we willing to pay the extra because we want the exclusive logo, better fit, something that designed from a different point of view?

All the brands want to make a profit, but to do that they have to capture our imaginations as well as our wallets.
I’ve used enough kit now to know that none of them are perfect, I could make a perfect jacket out of two or three from fifferent brands though.

Prices are what they are, we shouldn’t take the numbers personally, we should try stuff on and see if we think it’s worth it, does it hit all our personal markers? I think that’s the only guage of value.

Aye, that’s right enough Pete. It was just something I was pondering on all day (buying british) and the Ozone highlighted it for me. The Haglofs gear I have has been great, even the humble t shirt is a cracking bit of gear but then I’ve been lucky and managed to buy samples ;-)

As you say, only we ourselves personally can say whether something is good value or not. I guess that’s why I have a fair bit of Montane clothing too.

That’s what TKMaxx and the interweb is for! About the only thing I usually pay full whack for is footwear – if that pair I’ve tried on fits, then I buy that actual pair.
A lot of the british brands do seem to have a spartan feel about them, Walsh, Montane, Inov8, Ron Hill. There’s no glamour about them, they’re light, functional and good value. It’s when you look at say Haglofs gear, the zip pulls, all the detailing… well, there’s just a bit more ‘tactile touchiness’ there. Some people are willing to pay extra for that I guess but hopefully not everyone then I can bag a bargain in the sales ;-)

Good interesting thread this. Good gear is often like cars, somehow the enjoyment you have from a product is greater than the sum of its parts. I guess they call it good design.

The new heavier LIM Jacket is a good example. Yes it is 50g heavier, but the design is better and it is more comfortable. You wont notice the weight difference in your pack too much, but you will feel a lot more comfortable when you are wearing it, raising your pulse and swinging your arms around running or with trekking poles. In fact, you wont notice the comfort, you never do. Just somehow you will find yourself using it more and being happy.

Neil and Roddy are doing a cracking job with their team of Swedish designers. Watch this space in December…

I’m going to be a bit controversial here but a lot of this is fahion. Haglofs is perceived as a trendy/fahionable/serious brand and Berghaus is perceived as am ‘old fahioned’ brand. It’s why Haglofs can charge £28 – £30 for a bog standard t-shirt made of a technical fabric and if I shop around I can buy the Berghaus Tech Ts for £15.
I’m not saying that Haglofs doesn’t produce good kit but a lot of the pricing is based around what the market will accept. And people are prepared to pay more for Haglofs than Berghaus. Patagonia has based their pricing on this for years (plus their environmental credentials).